Covid: Penguins' move from Isle of Man to Northern Ireland 'a miracle'

Fourteen Humboldt penguins have had to make an international trek across four countries to a new home after Covid restrictions interfered with a move.

The birds' trip from the Isle of Man to Northern Ireland, which should have been a short trip across the Irish Sea, was hit by local travel restrictions.

As a result, the only route from Curraghs Wildlife Park to Exploris Aquarium was via England and Scotland.

The park's manager said it was a "miracle" the move had gone to plan.

Kathleen Graham added that arranging the logistics had felt "like spinning 20 plates in the air".

"It was a great team effort," she added.

The move was part of a European breeding programme for endangered animals.

The Ballaugh park has successfully reared 15 penguins in the last three years, recording 10 births in 2020 alone, and with plans to continue breeding, the decision was taken in June to relocate the site's youngest birds.

However, the plan to move them to Northern Ireland was hit by Covid-19 regulations and Brexit-related paperwork.

There is currently no direct route from the Isle of Man to Northern Ireland, which meant the penguins had to be loaded into a temperature-controlled van and taken by ferry to England, before being driven to Scotland for another sailing across to Belfast.

They arrived at the aquarium in Portaferry on Friday, 17 hours after setting off.

The site's managing director Kieran Quinn said the birds were "settling in and feeding well" and had already created a "buzz around the town".

Humboldt penguins, which are native to South America, are classed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

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